Biography of Henry Brydges 2nd Duke Chandos 1708-1771

Paternal Family Tree: Brugge

On 2nd February 1695 [his father] James Brydges 1st Duke Chandos (age 22) and [his mother] Mary Lake (age 26) were married.

On 1st February 1708 Henry Brydges 2nd Duke Chandos was born to [his father] James Brydges 1st Duke Chandos (age 35) and [his mother] Mary Lake (age 39).

On 15th September 1712 [his mother] Mary Lake (age 44) died. She was buried at Chandos Mausoleum Church of St Lawrence Whitchurch Lane Little Stanmore.

On 4th August 1713 [his father] James Brydges 1st Duke Chandos (age 40) and [his step-mother] Cassandra Willoughby Duchess Chandos (age 43) were married. They were half first cousins.

On 16th October 1714 [his grandfather] James Brydges 8th Baron Chandos (age 72) died at Aconbury, Herefordshire. His son [his father] James (age 41) succeeded 9th Baron Chandos of Sudeley, 4th Baronet Brydges of Wilton in Herefordshire. [his step-mother] Cassandra Willoughby Duchess Chandos (age 44) by marriage Baroness Chandos of Sudeley.

On 19th October 1714 [his father] James Brydges 1st Duke Chandos (age 41) was created 1st Earl Carnarvon, 1st Viscount Wilton. [his step-mother] Cassandra Willoughby Duchess Chandos (age 44) by marriage Countess Carnarvon.

In 1719 [his father] James Brydges 1st Duke Chandos (age 45) was created 1st Duke Chandos, 1st Marquess Carnarvon. [his step-mother] Cassandra Willoughby Duchess Chandos (age 48) by marriage Duchess Chandos.

William of Worcester's Chronicle of England

William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.

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On 21st December 1728 Henry Brydges 2nd Duke Chandos (age 20) and Mary Bruce (age 18) were married. She the daughter of Charles Bruce 4th Earl Elgin 3rd Earl Ailesbury (age 46) and Anne Savile. He the son of James Brydges 1st Duke Chandos (age 55) and Mary Lake. They were fifth cousins.

In 1729 [his daughter] Caroline Brydges was born to Henry Brydges 2nd Duke Chandos (age 20) and [his wife] Mary Bruce (age 19). She married 10th March 1755 her second cousin James Leigh and had issue.

On 27th December 1731 [his son] James Brydges 3rd Duke Chandos was born to Henry Brydges 2nd Duke Chandos (age 23) and [his wife] Mary Bruce (age 21). He married (1) 22nd March 1753 Margaret Nicol (2) 1777 Anne Eliza Gamon Duchess Chandos and had issue.

On 18th April 1736 [his father] James Brydges 1st Duke Chandos (age 63) and Lydia Catherine Van Hatten Duchess Chandos were married. She by marriage Duchess Chandos.

On 14th August 1738 [his wife] Mary Bruce (age 28) died.

On 9th August 1744 [his father] James Brydges 1st Duke Chandos (age 71) died at Cannons House Little Stanmore. He was buried at Chandos Mausoleum Church of St Lawrence Whitchurch Lane Little Stanmore. His son Henry (age 36) succeeded 2nd Duke Chandos, 2nd Marquess Carnarvon, 2nd Earl Carnarvon, 2nd Viscount Wilton, 10th Baron Chandos of Sudeley, 5th Baronet Brydges of Wilton in Herefordshire.

                    On 25th December 1744 Henry Brydges 2nd Duke Chandos (age 36) and Anne Wells Duchess Chandos were married at Keith's Chapel, Mayfair. She by marriage Duchess Chandos. Two versions of their meeting are related... He the son of James Brydges 1st Duke Chandos and Mary Lake.
                
                    Notes & Queries 1870 4th Series, Vol. 6, p.179: Lord Omery remarked, on 15th January 1745, "Of her person & character people speak variously, but all agree that both are very bad." He was speaking of Anne, Duchess of Chandos. She was the daughter of one John Wells of Newbury (& St. Marylebone) whose arms appear as azure, three fountains proper, on her hatchment at Keynsham Church. She was chambermaid at the Pelican Inn Newbury, and married to Jeffries the Ostler there. There is a story about the Duchess told by an old lady of Newbury, who was ten years old at the time. Henry Bridges, 2nd Duke of Chandos, while on his way to London, dined at the Pelican Inn in Newbury, with a companion (it has been claimed that the Inn was the Marlborough Castle, but this is incorrect). After dinner there was a stir and a bustle in the Inn Yard. The explanation came that "A man is going to sell his wife and they are leading her up the yard with a halter round her neck". "We will go and see the sale, " said the Duke. On entering the yard, however, he was so smitten with the woman's beauty and the patient way she waited to be set free from her ill‑conditioned husband, the Inn's ostler, that he bought her himself. She was his mistress for some years. In August 1738 his wife died, and by 1744 the ostler was dead also, and the two were finally married at Mr. Keith's Chapel, Mayfair on 25th December 1744.
                
                    The Gentleman's Magazine 1832. The Duke of Chandos, while staying at a small country inn, saw the ostler beating his wife in a most cruel manner; he interfered and literally bought her for half a crown. She was a young and pretty woman; the Duke had her educated; and on the husband's death he married her. On her death-bed, she had her whole household assembled, told them her history, and drew from it a touching moral of reliance on Providence; as from the most wretched situation, she had been suddenly raised to one of the greatest prosperity; she entreated their forgiveness if at any time she had given needless offence, and then dismissed them with gifts; dying almost in the very act.

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On 22nd March 1753 James Brydges 3rd Duke Chandos (age 21) and Margaret Nicol were married. He the son of Henry Brydges 2nd Duke Chandos (age 45) and Mary Bruce.

The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy

The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.

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On 10th March 1755 [his son-in-law] James Leigh (age 31) and Caroline Brydges (age 26) were married. She the daughter of Henry Brydges 2nd Duke Chandos (age 47) and Mary Bruce. They were second cousins.

In 1767 Henry Brydges 2nd Duke Chandos (age 58) and Elizabeth Major Duchess of Chandos (age 36) were married. She by marriage Duchess Chandos. The difference in their ages was 22 years. He the son of James Brydges 1st Duke Chandos and Mary Lake.

On 28th November 1771 Henry Brydges 2nd Duke Chandos (age 63) died. His son James (age 39) succeeded 3rd Duke Chandos, 3rd Marquess Carnarvon, 3rd Earl Carnarvon, 3rd Viscount Wilton, 11th Baron Chandos of Sudeley, 6th Baronet Brydges of Wilton in Herefordshire.

In 1813 [his former wife] Elizabeth Major Duchess of Chandos (age 82) died.

Ancestors of Henry Brydges 2nd Duke Chandos 1708-1771

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Brydges 1st Baron Chandos

Great x 3 Grandfather: Charles Brydges 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Grey Baroness Chandos 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: Giles Brydges 1st Baronet 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Carne

Great x 3 Grandmother: Jane Carne 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Jane Brydges 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 1 Grandfather: John Brydges 2nd Baronet 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Scudamore 12 x Great Grand Son of King John of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: James Scudamore 13 x Great Grand Son of King John of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Elynor Croft

Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Scudamore Lady Bridges 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Throckmorton of Tortworth

Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Throckmorton 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Berkeley 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England

GrandFather: James Brydges 8th Baron Chandos 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Father: James Brydges 1st Duke Chandos 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 1 Grandfather: Henry Barnard

GrandMother: Elizabeth Barnard Baroness Chandos

Henry Brydges 2nd Duke Chandos 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Almeric Lake

Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Lake

Great x 1 Grandfather: Lancelot Lake

Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Rider

GrandFather: Thomas Lake 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Cheke

Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Cheeke

Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Cheeke 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Humphrey Radclyffe 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Frances Radclyffe 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel Harvey

Great x 1 Grandmother: Frances Cheeke 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Rich 2nd Baron Rich of Leez

Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Rich 1st Earl Warwick

Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Baldry Baroness Rich Leez

Great x 2 Grandmother: Essex Rich 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Walter Devereux 1st Earl Essex 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Penelope Devereux Countess Devonshire 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Mother: Mary Lake 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 1 Grandfather: John Langham 1st Baronet

GrandMother: Rebecca Langham

Biography of Henry Brydges 2nd Duke Chandos 1708-1771

Royal Ancestors of Henry Brydges 2nd Duke Chandos 1708-1771

Ancestors of Henry Brydges 2nd Duke Chandos 1708-1771